Wayo Lake Manyara Green Camp

There's not much to the main area. The open riverbed in front of the kitchen and mess tent forms the centre of camp – it's where meals are served and drinks are enjoyed around a campfire. However, the lack of physical comforts and luxuries are more than offset by the excellent service. The three-course meals are homemade and hearty, and drinks always cold. Lounging on a picnic blanket while watching an elephant drinking at a river pool has its own rare luxury.

Eight bell-style tents are tucked into the forest and scattered along the edge of the riverbed. The tents are simple but well-equipped with comfortable beds and mattresses, crisp white linens, luggage racks, solar-powered lights and running water. Attached to the rear of each tent is a spacious bathroom with a hot-water shower, toilet and basin. A few canvas chairs and a table are placed in the shade, overlooking the riverbed where you can curl up with a book from the library.

Activities are arranged at a cost, from game drives (day and night) and bush walks to cycling adventures and canopy tours. There are multitude of ways to explore the park's 11 ecosystems. Stroll on the edge of the Great Rift Valley for lovely views of Lake Manyara, or ramble through the groundwater forest looking for birds, monkeys, bushbuck, elephant and other forest-loving animals. Glide across the lake in a canoe for some up-close birdwatching, swim in the pools and visit a local village.